Staff

Satan Spawn

In real life, people refer to me by my original name which is Shrivatsan Ragavan. In the interwebs however, I am known by this moniker.

Metal for me started when I discovered a song called ‘The Trooper’ by a band called Iron Maiden. What began as a form of rebellion for me merely 6 years ago (in 2008), is now something I cannot live without. I love every form of it, from heavy metal to black metal. If I had to pick a favorite, it would be a tie between death, black and grind.

The reason I started this zine is so that I may do a little part in bringing the world’s attention to underground bands that are talented and deserve support.

Magne Karlsen

I’m Ütakt, a Norwegian guy that lived in Sweden for 20 years. Got into Iron Maiden “Killers” 1984 and Slayer “Hell Awaits” 1985. Started listening to death metal in 1991 by discovering Darkthrone “Soulside Journey” and Entombed “Left Hand Path”. I didn’t get into black metal until 1995 when I heard “The Shadowthrone” by Satyricon.

I don’t have a favourite genre, but if I have to choose it’ll have to be death metal. Not melodeath though.

Deadlock

Deadlock here.Self style geek and die-hard metalhead.Loves to listen to metal,play DOTA, smoke doobies with friends(I can’t roll,hence I need friends),research on the paranomal and mystic philosophy,cracking lame-ass jokes that sometimes come out good,and being cheesy and jumping around at all times.Loves to eat out(non-vegetarian,please),drink out,smoke out and go on dates(Yeah do get ones,do you even lift?). Will go all drooly for anything relatively technical and/or progressive. technical and/or progressive black,technical and/or progressive death, technical and/or progressive doom,anything will do.Also crazy about dark,mysterious,brooding stuff-Blackgaze,Shoegaze,Post-metal,Post-black,Avant Garde,Hydrogrind(Come on,which stoner doesn’t listen to Hydrogrind?).Even technical Metalcore(eat on it elitists). Wants to become a full-time web and application developer and organize gigs as a hobby,and yeah, Mary Jane.LOTS of Mary Jane. Peace out!

Nemo Job

Former wannabe film critic and forever massive food junkie, Nemo Job started worshiping at the altar of metal in his early teens. When he is not consuming copious amounts of coffee or spouting ‘philosophical’ observations, he devotes his time to exploring different genres of music predominantly of the ‘heavy’ persuasion. He is currently pursuing BA in mass communication which enables him to make pretentious short films that will make your mother weep with exaltation and your sister *coughs*. His favorite metal bands include Slayer, Metallica (yeah screw you too), Opeth, Cynic, Iron Maiden and countless others that you might not have heard of. The crowning moment of his life thus far is Rainbow In The Dark, a documentary about the heavy music scene in Kochi (or Cochin, whatever) which ironically not many people from Kochi have seen. All in all, he is a nice guy who will buy you a few beers and take you to the movies (as long as you can tolerate his post-movie ‘analysis’) until you piss him off. And yes he is single..

Mikey Seweyestwa

Born in the city, and raised on the Navajo/Hopi Indian reservations. Home is a desert located in the arid regions of Northern Arizona, to be specific home sits atop a mesa in the north western portion of the state. Being trapped in the desert there was nothing much to do outside of listen to music, play video games, and farm. As I grew I just didn’t want to listen to music I wanted to play it. So I started with the guitar around the age of 11, and a couple years later would also start playing the bass. Metal would seem to be my main interest but in all honesty jazz was more a catalyst for me becoming a musician. I have a very eclectic taste and will to anything so long as it’s good. Only thing I love as much as music is food.

Arvind Menon

Hey my name is Arvind, I live in India. Well to be more specific in a city known as “Coimbatore” in the southern regions of India. I’m a drummer and my musical taste as far as metal goes would range from Folk Metal, Progressive Metal, Melodic Metal, Melodic Death Metal but then again these are only what I listen to often and review but I generally love all forms of metal music as well. I also love good old bands like ABBA, Boney M, Beatles and so on which were the first set of tracks that got me into the world of music by the influence of my own father who loves country music and plays it everyday in my house through the sound system in the living room, Am I lucky or what ? haha so moving on My top three Bands would be Eluveitie, Opeth, Amon Amarth. My favorite drummers are Martin Axenrot, Mike Portnoy, Neil Peart, Marco Minneman, Gavin Harrison, Matt Gartska, Matt Halpern, Chris Adler and finally the person who inspired me to play Metal, the drummer of Amon Amarth “Fredrik Andersson”.

I love a good technical and variety in composition for songs more than the usual brutality in most metal songs but not that I don’t like it but it’s just that I love a good twist in the music to make my mind go wild with the variety of sounds and beats that are presented before me. The first Metal band I listened to was Amon Amarth and yes I was instantly hooked. I was wanting more and 6 years later here I stand.

My opinion on anything is that I never judge by the initial appearance and I try it out for myself to see what it’s all about and that goes double for music as well. All forms of music I believe has some or the other appeal to every person in the world and yes it’s called music for a reason and only one reason because it reaches out to us and makes us happy inside so yes why not give all music a chance? Is what I think. Some people think I’m an idiot for thinking this way but yea that never stopped me from exploring music deeper and finding a lot more about how beautiful Music is. Thank you for reading about me. Have a good day.

Vallabhneni Srikar

Hi, I’m Srikar.I’m from the metal capital of India , Bangalore. My first brushing with independent heavy music was with Linkin Park and System of a Down way back in 2010 through one of my friends (yeah I was a late bloomer). I really liked the heavy fast paced parts that both the bands brought into their music. So my curiousity took me to Metallica, Judas Priest, Anthrax, Testament and Exodus. I didnt get into Slayer and Iron Maiden until 2 years ago, due to various reasons, but better late than never. So with time I have been exposed all sub genres of Metal, but my confort zone remains with Traditional Heavy metal, Thrash, Death, Death Thrash, Doom, Death Doom , Stoner Metal. I have been lucky to see quite a number of both local and International bands so far, with the shows of Slayer, LOG, Kreator, Iced Earth and Suidakra being my most memorable ones. I have become an avid collector of CDs too, both local and International and it gives me a sense of pride owning them. Writing about bands and their music gives me immense joy and has also helped me at a personally at an emotional level and it also helps the bands get the publicity that they deserve. I hope to continue doing the same and may be one day go to the Mecca of metal – The Wacken Open Air. Keep it heavy. Keep it Metal. \m/

Armaan Rm

Hi, I’m Armaan. I think I’m the youngest person in the team. I listen to a lot of music, but metal is my favorite genre.when it comes to metal, I dig slam,doom and tech/prog death.

Things I like: metal,boobs and beef Biryani.

Yash Kasana

This guy is too shy to talk about himself, so I (Satan Spawn) am writing this on his behalf.

Yash is a person that one likes almost instantly. After hours of pleading, he finally joined the writing team of this page and as a writer, the guy is just brilliant. His music tastes are in stark contrast of mine. He is the type of guy that would spend his evenings listening to classic rock tunes and reminiscing of the era long gone. Another one of his personal favorites is grunge and is probably one of the few guys left on this planet that still claims ‘Grunge is not dead, you fools!’. As you would have already predicted, the guy has a very picky taste when it comes to music. But once he gets into a certain band, its almost impossible to stop him from talking about how great it is.

(Hope he doesnt kill me after reading this. )

Eirik Vandal

I was born in 1985, the year of the Nintendo. Been a big music fan my whole life. Generally a fan of most genres, but most of what I listen to is on the heavy, noisy and weird side. Some of my many favorites are, The Locust, Fantomas, Melvins, Isis, Neurosis, Dillinger esc plan, Ministry, Converge and The Residents… I could go on forever.

Music is a drug, and I’m a junkie.

Deckard Cain

Country: Tristram
A stooping back, coughed up blood, feet that grate and yet death eludes me. A great evil works beneath the surface, ceaselessly, to guarantee me life, sustaining it. I reckon it is that good for nothing, hellhole dweller, Diablo, once again. While the rest of humanity holds vitality dear to its heart, I deny it with vehemence unparalleled. I seek the eternal silence for I may finally rid of my physical burdens. But for now, senility is a curse, while immortality thrust upon me, remains a bane of unfathomable proportions.

For as long as the weakest of winds flow through me i shall yet live and yet shall i curse. For i am the last of the Horadrim.

Meanwhile…

“Stay awhile and listen..”

Lauren Brender

Hi, my name is Lauren, I hail from Kent, South East England, in terms of Metal, I listen to whatever it is I like the sound of, and so my taste varies widely from bands like BFMV to Ihsahn, Opeth, Dream Theater and Eluveitie. I dare not call myself an expert in the field, but then, with such a huge variety of bands to listen to, it is hardly a surprise.

I do not allow myself to be a follower of the norms, because I do not fit in to the norms of what I should be. Aside from being a female Metalhead, I have a huge interest in programming and AI, with the view to taking it as a University course in September. I may be outnumbered, but I do not let that stop me!

My first musician I really paid any attention to was Will Smith, back in 2004 during grade 6 or something like that. Before grade 6 I was mostly drawing and playing video games. I really liked Will Smith’s “wild wild west” album. A year or two later, I bought Revolver (the Beatles) and basically fell in love with The Taxman, among many of their other songs. I dont really listen to the beatles that much now though. I also listened to (almost exclusively) Iron Maiden, until I lost interest in them due to them not really releasing anything new I suppose? I dunno.

A friend of mine (Guy) then invited me to see Maiden’s Flight 666 in theatres, which immediately got me back into Maiden again. Even Guy’s dad is a metalhead! (they’re British). I still remember talking to Guy about The Final Frontier. “Hey Clayton, there’s rumors of a new maiden album coming out in a year or something, it’s gonna be awesome!”. That was back in the first-half of high school if I recall correctly, before the album’s name was even decided upon. I wonder if Maiden’ll ever release a new album.

Skip forwards to grade 10 summer break (2010), I go with Guy to see my first concert; Dream Theater opening for Iron Maiden. We weren’t even in the pit, but it was still awesome. I think I was around 15 or something. Didn’t really pay much attention to dream theater, I’m not into progressive metal.

I was also really into the emo scene. Listening to Panic at the Disco, AFI, The Used, My Chemical Romance, you name it. Not too much of the modern metalcore/deathcore bands though. I even have my grade 11 high school photo of myself with long black hair; bangs completely covering my left eye. Grade 12 I kinda fell out of the fad, let my hair grow out further, stopped dying it until the red and black dyes faded with time.

Today, I still listen to a lot of those allegedly emo bands of before (especially MCR <3 ), but am in no way glorifying the emo style. Currently wearing my hair all brown, almost 2 feet in length.